Brewed with a ridiculous amount of barley, World Wide Stout is dark, rich, roasty and complex. This Ageable Ale clocks in at 15-20% ABV and has a depth more in line with a fine port than with a can of cheap, mass-marketed beer.

Pitch black pour with a finger of tan foam that clings to the glass. Charcoal in the aroma with hints of dark fruit. Tons of deep roasted malt flavor with more fruit in the background. The very high alcohol is not very apparent, so you might want to proceed with caution here. (276 characters)

2013 World Wide StoutLook - Black, 1” head that dissipates quickly, tan brown in colorSmell - Very mild smell - what I noticed the most was the boozy nose, mixed with slight chocolate, coffee and a roasted barleyTaste - More vivid than the 2008 bottle. The taste comes in wave as opposed to blending over time as the bottle ages. Leathery maltiness, coffee and chocolate. More booze heavy than the 2008 vintage. Slight vanilla. Both bottles have the same taste characteristics they just manifest differently based on the age of the bottle.Mouthfeel - More carbonation than the 2008 bottle, other than that it is still very drinkable, booze well hidden. Not as thick as it would be with significant age on it.

Overall - I rated both vintages together so to give a vantage point of what age does to this beer. They are both outstanding and have their plusses and minuses compared to the other, which balance out in my opinion. The purpose of this review was to acknowledge the high quality brew this is, and based on personal preference, whether one should consume this fresh or put age on it. (1,477 characters)

Aroma is roasty, sweet, and deeply caramelized, with notes of licorice, floral hops, chocolate, booze, raisins, and prunes. Very complex. Could age years longer.

Flavor is sweet and boozy, with big raisiny tones, caramel malt, and cocoa finishing roasty and a touch bitter. I'm surprised by the dark fruit presence in a stout. Light soy and huge sherry oxidation surface as it warms. Dark fruit really dominates the profile, rather than roasty notes. One to savor. (481 characters)

Got my first taste of this on draft at the new Blackbird in Spokane - 2013 vintage. What a treat! Dark and delicious, the best way to describe my experience was this beer resembled a fine port wine and a big, roasty stout all in one. It's 18% ABV provided a little hotness, but overall integrated well to make for a pleasant drink. (331 characters)

Had a 11/2009 vintage on March of 2014 to celebrate my new job. Was laying in my cellar for far too long and was supposed to be opened for my graduation in 2012. Oh well, a few years won't hurt this one!

Pours oily black. Like an abyss or a black hole. A slight brown head appears. Smell is super rich, boozy, and inviting. First sip in and I'm in love. Almost 5 years of age has done this beer good. God, so many flavors. Molasses, coffee, chocolate, brandy, fig, it's all mixed in there. Some roasted qualities but overall this is the Tsar Bomba of stouts. What really gets me is the feel. Can I say this is very drinkable at ~18%? I had trouble drinking 120 Minute IPA, but NOT this one. Overall just incredible. If I find another bottle I will definitely let it sit for 5 years just to enjoy this experience again. Wow. (824 characters)

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, completely opaque, pitch-black color with two fingers of caramel/chocolate-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a lacing of foam that completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Wow! Massive, rich, complex, earthy, inviting, bready, aromas of roasted malt, imparting notes of freshly toasted dark bread, some freshly roasted coffee beans, and a touch of smoke. There is also a lot of aromas of brown sugar and toffee, dark molasses, dark chocolate, salted caramel and a hint of licorice and vanilla.

Taste: Wow! Just, wow! A fantastically delicious beer! Strong, rich, complex, earthy, inviting, bready, flavors of roasted malt, imparting notes of freshly toasted dark bread, some freshly roasted coffee beans, and a touch of smoke. There are also a lot of brown sugar and toffee, dark molasses, dark chocolate, salted caramel and a hint of licorice and vanilla. Finally, there is quite a bit of dried cherries and prune-like flavors.

Mouthfeel: Chewy and extremely smooth as there is no carbonation what-so-ever. With an ABV of 18%, there is a pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate, but much less of one than I was expecting. The alcohol is very, very well masked.

Overall: This is a spectacular stout! Earthy, rich, complex, roasty, malty, slightly fruity and sweet, and absolutely delicious! World Wide Stout is one of the best non-barrel-aged stouts I’ve had, certainly up there with Avery’s the Czar and Out of Bounds Stout, Evil Twin’s Love You with My Stout, Sierra Nevada’s Stout, Founders’ Imperial Stout, Great Lakes’ Blackout Stout, Oskar Blues Ten-Fiddy, etc. Another stellar beer from Dogfish Head! I love this brewery! (1,749 characters)

This may have been the best-tasting pour of what, to me, is most often a remarkably-smooth, richly-nuanced, high-octane dark beer. I can only guess this keg has been aged for a couple years - the menu didn't say and shame on me for not asking.

The dark tan foam lasts for way too long atop the void-black, grimy, motor-oil-like liquid. The vicious charge of hop oils I assume is responsible slick-softens the already, gooey viscosity of its malt-stuffed body. The booze here, never outwardly fusel or harsh, is balances this worty goodness fantastically.

Speaking of the quasi-immense depth and dimension in flavor here... we have on the nose: charcoal, licorice, treacle, burnt cookie, brandy, mums... on the palate, a dense mosaic of dark malts blend with leather, rosewater, and a full-bodied port wine, sumptuous and alarmingly smooth.

For something this potent, the booze never approaches burn-level either in bottles or on draft. So soft in volume in the background. Attention to detail and a crack process yields this! Nearly fluffy flowing back.

Bottles need to now be procured. I'm just recounting from memory from earlier today. But this is seriously something that ought to be laid down and scrupulously examined. Killer stuff. An outlier, for sure. (1,325 characters)

Appearance: pours a deep and solid black, maybe the slightest hint of mahogany around the very edge. with a semi-aggressive pour, to get this old boy living again, a two to three finger tan head forms with surprisingly strong retention and a good frothy lacing. Completely opaque due to the darkness.

Smell: upon cracking the seal I was greeted with a huge aroma of good oxidation. initially getting some sherry notes but as I get a closer whiff, it is more port like. Other aromas include chocolate fudge, molasses to maple syrup, some more booziness that mixes with dark fruits.

Taste: opens with a bit of booziness mixing nicely with chocolate and dark fruit. the dark fruit melds into a port like character with the booze staying prominent. more fudge like chocolate, some sherry-like oxidation. some roasted malt character. molasses to maple syrup character comes in. ends with a bit more booze.

Mouthfeel: heavy and chewy. syrup like stickiness and feel. booziness pervades but doesn't quite dominate. some bitterness from roasted malts. no astringency or overpowering characters.

Overall: I've had this fresh multiple times and have never seen the amazing qualities that come out over time. fresh it tastes like a imperial stout that clocks in around 10% and costs much more. But at 5 years this beer has really become something new, unique and absolutely delicious. I am glad I didn't write this one off based on my first tasting of it. (1,478 characters)

Had this over a year ago "fresh" as I recall but didn't rate. This review is on the 2013 beer, but a year and a half aged (both on tap):

Black pour with tan head, lasting with a thin film on the surface and decently thick along the edges. Lacing is strong, even given the ABV.

Smell has some alcohol, licorice notes, some sweeter chocolate or cola hints, but a bit light in this atmosphere (at brewpub). The nose reminds me more of a strong ale than a stout. Sweet coffee notes come out a little more with warmth.

The taste also is reminiscent of a strong dark ale, alcohol its up front, but coffee and general roasted grain notes are present behind a sweeter, cola taste. There is also some bitterness in there, hidden similar to other DFH beers. There's a strange dark pitted fruit impression to the beer as well, maybe prune, that is not a main glamor, but adds a tart bite. I've had similar impressions regarding a "tart"ness level in barrel aged beer.

Not sure why among the various candidates it feels thin, but it does. Flavor intensity is mid-high. End is a bit drying, despite the overall sweeter taste of the beer.

I am starting to feel the bitterness this brewery uses is neutral, or designed to seem neutral against the malt profile. I am impressed by the consistency in this "signature", but I like certain things from certain styles, and this one would be a tad too "dogfishified" to me. That said, I still enjoyed the beer. (1,455 characters)

Look: Pitch brown body. Literal mocha head. Film on top with the majority around the ring. Curtains of melting mocha lace as I tilt and swirl the glass. The sun does not penetrate the body. Lighter brown around the edges when held up against the sun.Smell: Rich malty goodness and rich smelling sweet bread aromas, combined with molasses, and faint dark chocolate. A bit of sweet alcohol booze with deeper draws through the nose.Taste: Sweet maltiness with a medium roast. Faded, sweet, overripe dark fruit, and molasses. A touch of balanced char and roast near the finish that brushes the back of my throat. For me, alcohol is lightly noticed.Feel: Low, dense, semi-creamy carbonation. Heavier, dense body.

Overall - This beer has one of the better aromas. The taste is rich and very deep. Maybe the age has done this beer some favors. This beer is tremendous. I am happy I have three more bottles to sit on. (975 characters)

Just pulled this one from the cellar yesterday. Bottle was packaged on: 11/17/09.What a difference almost 5 years made on this. The aroma smelled like a a bottle of high end dark rum. But the taste was completely different. Chocolate and molasses right at the front of the tongue. With hints of dark fruit that lingered on the palate and a quick subtle boozy burn after swallowing. Even though it smelled exactly like a bottle of rum, there was no taste of rum at all. It was so smooth, especially considering this was a 18 ABV. Comepletely amazed by how well it aged. Do yourself a favor and buy two next time you get a chance, drink one and age one. Or age both. It was so worth the wait. (692 characters)

A: Rich, bright dark coffee brown under a 1” tan foam collar that dissipates to a thick film. S: Dark dried fruit, traces of coffee, chocolate, and a hint of tartness. T: Creamy complex blend of prunes, raisins, chocolate and coffee with a bitter chocolate finish. M: Big, luscious creamy chewy body with below average carbonation. O: This beer has stealth alcohol – no way does it drink like it has 18% abv. (416 characters)

OMG this is so freaking good. Having a 2014 vintage. Can see light through the top half inch. I really wish it was a bit darker in color, but other than that, perfection. Plums, figs, raisins on nose. Huge abv on nose.

Taste's sweet and massive. Big brew here. So much taste going on here. Does not finish hard for an ABV. So smooth, without knowing I would say it was around - ABV.

Black color with thin brown head. Aroma is heavy roast malt and boozy fermenting fruit. Flavors of chocolate, dark roast malt, very boozy. Minimal sweetness, some bitter balance and roast malt finish. The ABV takes the front seer in this beast of a beer. I enjoy barley wines, quads, strong ales, and scotch neat so I am enjoying this stout: If you don't then you won't. (370 characters)

Bottle date 1-28-14 poured into a waterford crystal snifter on 3-4-15. I've had this beer at varying times in its lifespan, but I felt like this was very close to the sweet spot. Pours pitch black with a creamy head. Smell of caramel, chocolate, booze. Taste follows suit, booze adds a beautiful finish. I know this gets a bit mellower with time, but I love the booze backing being more prominent. A fantastic beer and a top 3 stout for me. (451 characters)

I'm just going to get right to the point here. For being 5.5 years old, it's solid. I had the same beer last night, the 2014 version, and I must say that this aged version is more enjoyable but has its faults as well.

First off, it's a lot smoother, and more well rounded. However, in the middle of the taste I get a plastic flavor before the sweetness and alcohol flavors come through. The finish is warming, almost a slight burn. Tastes of molasses, caramel, burnt sugar, mild chocolate. The smell has a slight sourness to it however it does not come through in the taste.

My cellar was inconsistent for a year or so, temperatures ranging from 70 down to 50, was exposed to light for a day or 2 as well during moving into a new house. With that being said, I expected soured and skunked, so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it and found how much of the original, complex flavor it has retained. In my opinion, I would not go past the 5.5 years, assuming it might have peaked around 4.5 years. Just my 2¢. Felt an obligation to the beer community to report these findings, hopefully someone finds them to be a bit of help or guidance. (1,207 characters)

Look-Very dark brown that isn't quite black, viscous as hell, pours a thin ring of lacing that clings nicely to the glass.Smell-Lots of coffee, some chocolate, oak, raisins.Taste-upfront are hints of chocolate,raisins,coffee, some toffee, then comes a HUGE punch of burning alcohol that completely overpowers all the other flavors that one gets for a half second on the first sip.Feel-Full bodied, oily, almost no carbonation.overall-i can see this beer being amazing after a decade, however even at three years old the alcohol was intolerable. drain poured. (562 characters)

T: This one is a "big boy" as Biggs called it. Take it easy and sip slowly. Taste is rich with great grainy substance; dates, raisins and figs on the backbeat. Lots of potency here, with the high alcohol content. It grabs you immediately. A bit of chocolate and anise pop up, too.

M: Medium with medium, chewy carbonation.

O: Glad I got to try this high octane beauty. So nice as it warms. It ages oh, so well. (676 characters)

On tap at alehouse poured into snifter. Deep opaque black with a thin tan ring at the rim of the glass and a little oil slick in middle. Columns of tiny bubbles climb the side to maintain the head. Aroma is tons of roasted malt, carpet cleaner, raisins, and port. Taste is strong alcohol, charcoal, wood, vanilla, roast malts, raisin, and a sugary finish as it warms. Full bodied, creamy, slightly viscous texture, low but prickly carbonation, sweet and warming finish. (469 characters)